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Samsung’s 2024 Frame TV review: A prettier picture and more features than ever
Samsung
Samsung’s 2024 edition of the Frame isn’t just a smart TV. It becomes a decorative accent whenever you’re not watching something. As a 4K resolution QLED TV, it also does an impressive job showcasing TV shows and movies, as well as high-action sports and games. And it displays famous works of art with extreme detail and color accuracy. Paintings from famous artists look real, while photographs look sharp and lifelike.
Samsung’s 2024 65-inch Frame smart TV: At a glance
Samsung
Model number: QN65LS03DAF | Display type: QLED (non-reflective matte finish) | Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating System: Tizen | HDR Support: Quantum HDR, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG | Speakers: 2.0.2 ch. 40-watts with Dolby Atmos | Main Ports: 4x HDMI, 1x Ethernet, 2x USB, 1x Digital audio out, 1x Ex-Link | Motion detection: Yes | Interchangeable bezels: Yes | Overall dimensions: 57.4 x 32.8 x 1 inches (without stand) | Weight: 49.4 pounds (without stand)
The Frame continues to be the most popular TV among our readers, and we’ve been raving about it for years. Samsung recently sent me the 65-inch model of the 2024 Frame TV to test firsthand. I was amazed by how clear and vibrant its picture quality is, how simple the TV is to control, and just how elegant it looks hanging on a wall.
To ensure that the Frame TV fits nicely into whichever room of your home you choose, this 2024 edition comes in six screen sizes — 43-inches ($1,000), 50-inches ($1,300), 55-inches ($1,500), 65-inches ($2,000), 75-inches ($3,000) and 85-inches ($4.300). Best of all, you’ll often find this popular TV on sale on the Samsung website, as well as on Amazon, at Best Buy and at Walmart.
Pro Tip: Many retailers continue to also sell the 2023 edition, and for less money. If you’re looking for the most current version of this smart TV, make sure its model number starts with LS03D and not LS03C.
2024 Frame TV: What’s new
Samsung has kept everything that people love about the Frame TV, but for the 2024 version, added a few useful enhancements.
- The TV is now Pantone validated. All colors appear sharper and more accurate. Video and artwork looks more lifelike. The new version of the TV is can bring out even the most subtle differences in colors, so things like skin tones appear more authentic. In addition to 100% color volume, you’ll see more contrast, depth and detail in whatever you’re viewing.
- Even without subscribing to Samsung’s Art Store, the Frame TV will display a new collection of 20 free artworks per month.
- The TV is more energy efficient. When in art mode, the display’s dynamic refresh rate drops to 60Hz, so while artwork appears more realistic than when viewing it on previous models of the TV, it needs less energy to run. Using its motion sensor, the TV will shut off when nobody is in the room, but instantly launch art mode when it senses movement.
- A light sensor measures ambient light and adjusts the screen’s brightness in real time, so the picture quality remains consistent, even when lighting in a viewing space changes.
2024 Frame: First impressions
In a single word, “Wow!” When I had the chance to do a hands-on review of the previous version of the Frame TV, I was impressed by its overall design and performance. While many of the upgrades and changes to the 2024 edition of the TV are subtle, they do enhance the TV watching and art viewing experience. I noticed an improvement in overall picture quality and the sharpness of the colors.
Jason R. Rich
In most cases, the upgrades to the Tizen operating system make controlling the TV easier. However, to activate some of the TV’s lesser used functions was a bit confusing. For example, many apps for popular streaming services come preinstalled on the TV, which is great. But, it took me a few minutes to find other apps, like Paramount+. Also, the or picture-in-picture mode is a great feature, but it’s a bit tricky to set up. Other features, like manually tweaking picture and sound quality, or switching between the TV’s various viewing modes, is more intuitive than ever.
Beyond controlling the TV using the solar-powered handheld remote, you can use the same SmartThings mobile app that’s compatible with many of Samsung’s other smart gear.
Even without connecting a sound bar or surround-sound system, the TV’s speakers fill an average size room with robust and clear audio. But to enhance the feeling of immersion, I recommend a sound bar. Samsung has great options, like the Samsung Q-Series HW-Q990D.
Visually, the thinness of the TV is rather miraculous. Samsung was able to keep the TV less than one inch thick, without compromising picture or sound quality. The Frame comes with a stand and wall mount (something many other TV brands charge extra for).
Pick a bezel, any bezel
Samsung
You can choose between four bezel designs, including modern white ($150), modern teak ($150), modern brown ($150) or sand gold metal ($250). Any of these attach to the outer edge of the TV using magnets and make the TV appear as if its surrounded by a traditional picture frame.
So, when the TV is hanging on a wall and Art mode is active, any painting displayed digitally on the screen will be almost indistinguishable from a real framed painting that’s hanging on the wall next to it — especially if you’re standing more than two feet away.
2024 The Frame: The display
As expected, the Frame TV offers a sharp, bright and clear picture. It also does a nice job showcasing high action. However, it’s the screen’s matte finish that sets it apart when it comes to reducing or eliminating unwanted glare, without compromising picture quality, brightness or sharpness.
The TV, with its 120Hz variable refresh rate, automatically adjusts brightness and settings to accommodate for varying ambient light situations or frequent changes in brightness in whatever content you’re watching. That said, with a few clicks on the remote, it’s easy to tweak the picture and sound settings so they’re exactly to your liking. Also, using advanced artificial intelligence, the TV automatically upscales non-native 4K programming in real time, so it’s displayed in as close to 4K resolution as possible.
Using the TV’s One Connect Box
The Frame TV itself only has just one port. It’s on the back of the TV and connects to an included One Connect Box with a supplied cable. This box serves as the TV’s main hub. It’s where you’ll connect the power cable and access the ports for connecting other gear.
The One Connect Box means you can hang the Frame TV on a wall and have just one thin cable extending out of it. The power cable and cables for all other connected equipment plug into the One Control Box that can be mounted or positioned away from the actual TV.
2024 The Frame: The viewing experience
Jason R. Rich
You can easily connect your set top cable TV box or install apps from your cable TV provider and watch any of the channels and networks you already pay for. Plus, the Frame provides easy access to all of the popular video streaming services, as well as the Samsung TV Plus service, which offers up free live and on-demand programming, including many classic TV series and movies.
Jason R. Rich
Using any of the TV’s four HDMI ports, you can easily connect your favorite video game consoles. The TV’s Game Hub makes it easy to select your game console and then tweak the TV’s picture and audio settings to best accommodate the games you love to play.
However, the Frame does not require a console to play popular games. You can pair wireless gaming controllers to the TV, and with a paid subscription to an online gaming service (like Xbox Game Pass or Nvidia GeForce Now), play thousands of popular titles directly from the TV.
Exploring Art mode
The Samsung Art Store (which requires a subscription) now includes a library of more than 2,500 famous pieces of artwork. When nobody is watching TV, the Frame can display any of this artwork in high-definition. You can display just one of your favorite paintings, have the Frame present a slideshow of artwork, or create a schedule to have specific pieces of artwork be displayed during specific times of the day and night.
The artwork can also be interspersed with some of your own favorite digital photos. The TV’s new Pantone validation enhances the accuracy of the artwork’s colors and detail, so in some cases, you can clearly see paint brush strokes and the subtle transition between colors, as an artist intended.
Samsung’s 2024 Frame TV: Final thoughts…
The design of the Frame is brilliant. It’s thin, looks great on a wall and allows you to transform the look and aesthetic of a room based on the artwork you choose to display when not watching programming. The screen’s matte finish and the Tizen operating system, along with the technology built into the TV, provide for an extremely pleasant overall viewing experience.
That said, the differences between the 2024 edition of the Frame and the previous version are subtle. The upgrades made to the inner-workings of the TV aren’t enticing enough for me to recommend you immediately upgrade from the previous version to this one.
But, if you’ve never owned a Frame TV before, I wholeheartedly recommend adding one to a wall in your home’s living room or family room, where household members and guests will enjoy watching TV and appreciate seeing famous artwork displayed in the interim.
Our ongoing coverage of the Frame TV continues with the seven things I love about the new 2024 Frame TV (and 3 things I hate), so be sure to check that out as well.
If you’re shopping for any type of TV, we recommend checking out our coverage of the six best TVs for 2024, the five best TVs for video gamers, the four best 8K TVs in 2024 and LG’s gorgeous new Evo G4 and C4 OLED TVs. In fact, to read reviews, roundups and other informative articles about the latest consumer technologies, all of our latest tech coverage, which is continuously updated, is here to help you.
This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Lesley Stahl reported from Bhutan, a small, remote country tucked away in the Himalayan mountains.
The Buddhist kingdom is known for its awe-inspiring mountains, pristine forests, beautiful temples and spirituality.
“I am not a spiritual person. But I had all kinds of emotional reactions to the beauty of Bhutan,” Stahl told 60 Minutes Overtime.
“Snow-capped mountains, lush forests…it’s charming, absolutely charming.”
Stahl arrived at Paro International Airport on a small plane from New Delhi, landing on a runway flanked by steep mountains.
“As you look out the window, you can see yourself coming down these steep mountain slopes. It’s hair raising. It’s also one of the most beautiful sights ever,” Stahl said.
Buddhism is the state religion in Bhutan, and it is practiced by most of its citizens.
On any given day, many people, young and old, can be seen at temples spinning prayer wheels, large cylinders made of wood, as they walk past.
Stahl spoke with Dr. Lotay Tshering, a former prime minister of Bhutan, in the center of the town of Gelephu, and he explained how the prayer wheels work.
Tshering told her they are filled with millions of written prayers, and people spin them, wishing for longevity in life or the well-being of the world.
As the wheel is turned clockwise, the devotee mentally recites a wish that they hope will come true.
“Even now, I’m making my wish,” he told Stahl.
“Whatever reasons why 60 Minutes is making this…running this project, let it come to fruition. That’s my prayer, wish for the day. So, yes, these are very significant in our lives.”
While the team was in the country’s capital, Thimphu, they saw a festival called the Thimphu Drubchen, with ceremonial dances, known as cham, that take place every year.
Masked dancers perform precisely choreographed dances to a packed audience of Bhutanese to celebrate the female deities that they believe offer them protection.
Watching from a balcony overlooking the courtyard of the Tashichho Dzong, a fortress-like monastery and administrative center where the festival is held, Stahl spoke with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
“This particular ceremony in Thimphu has been going on… uninterrupted, every year, for more than 400 years,” he told Stahl.
He told Stahl that while the spectacle is entertaining and enjoyable, bearing witness to it has a sacred religious purpose.
“Just by witnessing these dances…we believe that we receive blessings to protect us for a whole year.”
In a grassy field in Thimphu, Stahl watched an archery match with Rabsel Dorji, who works for Bhutan’s government.
Two teams of archers, using traditional bows and arrows made of bamboo, took aim at a target roughly 145 meters away, the length of a football field and a half.
“[The target] is quite far away and quite small. It’s only about three feet high and… one foot wide. So, it’s a difficult task,” Dorji told Stahl.
Dorji explained that, depending on where the arrow hits, the team is awarded one or two points. The first team to 25 points wins a game. The team that wins the best out of three games wins the match.
But points can be deducted from a team if the opposing team hits the target afterward.
“The game can go very, very long into a whole day…or a whole two or three-day affair,” Dorji said.
Stahl reacted with surprise when she saw a team singing and dancing after they hit a target.
Dorji explained that it’s the equivalent of an end-zone dance. “It’s a Bhutanese version of it,” he said, laughing.
Stahl told Overtime that throughout her travels it was visibly apparent that Bhutan was still firmly connected to its ancient past.
“A lot of countries in the world have [become] so Westernized that they’ve lost their character. Here, they have kept their old traditions… they’ve kept their old architecture. They wear old-fashioned clothes,” she said.
But Bhutan is facing an economic challenge that has made its future uncertain: young people are leaving the country for higher-paying jobs in countries like Australia.
Stahl and the 60 Minutes team were given a rare audience with the king of Bhutan, who described his plans to build a new city, the Gelephu Mindfulness City, in the country’s south, near the border with India.
The king hopes the new city will provide job opportunities that will bring these young people back.
“The king’s concept is that there will be a modern city, but it’ll be Bhutanese. Buddhism will be at the heart of it. Clean air, clean water,” she told Overtime.
The king hired renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to design the new city. Ingels showed Stahl renderings for several projects, including a massive, colorful dam that will be used to generate hydroelectric power.
“And in the middle of the dam is a temple, right in the middle of the dam,” Stahl said.
“You have to hope that this little country can succeed in holding on to its character, its spirituality.”
The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.
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